An Adventurer and her Guide
by Nianti
Summary: Skeletron is dead; with him, died the last of the apparent corruption in the land. But... there is corruption yet. The Wall of Flesh and its minions yet live, and there is only one way to destroy it. Logan must die. Rating subject to change.


A/N: Written over the course of the past couple of months; I was disappointed by the serious lack of Terraria FF. So, I'm going to inflict my semi-fluffy, semi-angsty fic on you all. This starts immediately after defeating Skeletron, possibly the hardest non-Hardmode boss, and is meant to imply that all other bosses have been vanquished.  
>...Poor, Poor Logan... (You'll see why later on.)<p>

Cast:  
>Anna ~ Main Female Character<br>Dexter~ Supporting male character, assumed sibling/best friend to Anna  
>Logan ~ Main Male character, Guide<p>

Disclaimer: I only own Anna and Dex... and technically Dex is a friend's character remixed. Oh yeah, story is mine too, along with the personality quirks of these specific incarnations of the Terraria NPCs.

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><p>Anna carefully picked up the Old Man's legs, aiding Dexter in carrying the now-frail, unconscious fellow back home.. Upon speaking to the Old Man earlier that evening, the poor guy had been transformed into Skeletron, the monster Anna and Dexter had been hunting over the past few weeks. They'd defeated the monster, freeing the man in the process. However, they'd sort of... beaten him to a near-bloody pulp in the process.<p>

"Sheesh, I knew he was ragged-looking, but he doesn't weigh near enough to match his size. How long do you think he's been out here, Anna?" Dexter asked softly, shifting the old geezer's shoulders and head so the weight was more evenly dispersed. Anna shrugged.

"Longer that you or I have been here, for sure. Kaitlyn probably won't be happy with us..." she shivered, recalling how angry the normally-docile Nurse could become. Dexter scoffed.

"We were defending ourselves. It was the only way we could free him; besides, if we had waited until another time, he might've died on being freed." With a quick motion, they both flew into the air, their Spectre Boots lifting them above the Corruption that lay a few yards before the Dungeon gates.

They moved quickly, dodging every enemy they could and vaporizing those they couldn't. They reached their small-scale "apartments" just before dawn, both Anna and Dexter bearing the shadowed eyes that accompany a long night. Anna helped her friend carry the Old Man upstairs into Kaitlyn's medical ward (a room with several cots, each one labelled: Burns/Lava, Limb Reattachment, etc), and aided in placing him on the "Internal/External Trauma" cot. With that, the brunette hugged her friend, and headed down to her underground home.

On entering her room, she found Logan sitting up and waiting for her.

"You were gone all night... and I didn't have to go searching for you. So... I assume you were successful?" the Guide asked quietly. Anna nodded, going to sit down on her (already-prepared) bed.

"The Old Man... he begged us to free him, and yet we almost killed him in the process..." she murmured, shaking her head and fighting the exhaustion that was chipping away at her consciousness. She heard Logan get up, felt him sit next to her on the bed and begin to rub her back and shoulders. She leaned over, resting her head in the joint where his neck met his shoulder, and began to drift off despite herself.

"Go on and sleep, Anna. I'll do my best to keep the evil away while you dream." Logan whispered in her ear, shifting to pull her into his lap. He started rocking, singing a quiet and calming lullaby as she drifted into unconsciousness.

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><p><em>She felt heavy, like her body was made of stone. There was sunlight on her back, telling her it was daylight. She cracked her eyes open, squinting in the light, and saw Dex a few yards away. Groaning, she pushed herself to her feet, feeling every part of her body protesting at the movement. A calloused hand gently took her by the upper arm, helping her up.<em>

_"You should be careful about moving around too much... You're still recovering from the transition between worlds."_

_She looked up, and found herself staring into a pair of blue-brown eyes, partially covered by sun-bleached brown hair. She recognized the deeply-tanned young man instantly: the Guide. Their Guide, to be exact. Clearing her throat, she dusted herself off, and went over to Dex._

_"I already checked, he'll be out for a while yet." The guide's quiet tone spoke of worry, but Anna knew her brother._

_"He's good at fooling people when he sleeps. He'll wake up if you poke the right spot..." She grinned, seeing her brother tense._

_"Do it, and I swear to the heavens I will stick you in a hole with some dynamite and LEAVE you there." Dexter growled; he sighed then, slowly lifting himself from his hard bed. "...and I was having SUCH good dreams too." he grumbled._

_"Better to have such dreams in a shelter, rather than out here. Who knows what all is here?" Anna replied. The Guide cleared his throat, drawing both siblings' attention._

_"I know. My name is Logan; as I'm sure you know, I'm your guide here. I'll be glad to help in any way I can, but first I think...?" He gestured at Anna, obviously not aware of her name. She sighed._

_"Anna."_

_"Yes, Anna's plan, is the best one to follow right now." Logan finished, before shutting up. Dex glared at him, before sighing._

_"Alright, then. Where to, Anna?" Dexter asked, turning to her. She shrugged, before looking at Logan._

_"You don't already have a home?"_

_The guide shook his head. "Until now, I didn't really need one."_

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><p>Memories danced in and out of her dreams: Meeting Logan, Finding Kaitlyn, Fredrick, and Andre. A nightmare woke her in the middle of the night; she panicked for a moment, before strong, warm arms wrapped around her and a calm and gentle voice soothed her back to sleep. No more nightmares troubled her after that.<p>

She woke up curled into Logan's chest, his arms wrapped around her protectively. It was a pleasant change, but she made herself relax and stay still, for fear of waking him.  
>Logan stirred, his grip on Anna tightening slightly and making her squeak. She stilled again, and chuckled as he challenged creatures in his sleep. Occasionally, her name fell from his lips, and Logan would hug her closer, an expression of fear disturbing his blank features.<br>"Shh, I'm here Logan. I'm ok, we're safe." Anna murmured, after one particularly bad flash. The Guide stirred, blue-brown eyes cracking open to look at her as his mind returned to reality.  
>"Mm...?" Logan hummed, blinking at Anna. He released her, sitting up and leaning on one arm."...'time's it?"<br>Anna chuckled at him. "Early... I think it's still just before sunrise." She moved to the edge of the bed, and got up to use the restroom. She returned to find Logan up and pulling on his boots.  
>"Aren't there still monsters out?" She asked. Logan smiled at her, as he grabbed the shortsword and musket he always carried when he went outside their small village, along with a blank book and a small box. He motioned for her to follow him, and went upstairs. Her curiosity piqued, Anna pulled on her own boots, grabbed her Spell Scythe book, and ran after him.<p>

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><p>Dei above, how had she missed it over the past year? Anna and Logan were perched on the wall of the Sky Bridge, watching the sun rise. Logan had some pastels and a blank book, and was carefully drawing the likeness of the scene they beheld. Anna was in awe, not only of the spectacular sight but in the guide's accuracy in capturing the scene. Even the Harpies, guardians of the Sky, respected the sight enough to leave its observers alone until the sun was fully risen. Logan and Anna remained out above the mist-covered earth for what felt like an eternity, until the spectacle faded and the warm sunlight drove away the mist of the early morning. However, they had to retreat rather quickly, a few bullets and a lot of mana lighter than before.<p>

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><p>"I ...didn't realize how beautiful the sunrise was. Do you go up there every morning?" Anna asked, following Logan to the door of the study-room. The Guide smiled, motioning for her to follow, and lead her back to one of the bookshelves he and Dexter had built. Placing the journal he held on a table, Logan pulled out the topmost book on the left side of the shelf, and handed it to Anna.<br>"Open it, and you have your answer." he said softly, smiling. Anna turned to the first page, and inhaled sharply in surprise. She began slowly flipping through the book, her eyes growing wider with each page. She stopped halfway through, and looked at Logan.  
>"How... how long have you...?"<br>"Since the morning that I found you both." Logan answered, still smiling slightly. He gently took the sketch journal from her hands, and nodded toward the door. "C'mon. We have a long day ahead."

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><p>AN: See? I was nice this time. There will be some angst in the following chapters, though... -evil chuckle-


End file.
